How to Turn Your Solar System On and Off
Knowing how to properly turn your solar system on and off is essential for safety and efficiency. Understanding the shutdown process is key to staying safe while performing regular maintenance, troubleshooting an issue, or responding to an emergency.
Many homeowners with solar installations may not be fully aware of the shutdown and startup procedures, which can lead to unnecessary stress during maintenance or emergencies.
To help you navigate your system, we've put together the information you need to know such as the step-by-step process of safely turning off and on your solar system and what to do if you have a battery system installed. We'll also highlight some technology that enhances your system's safety during emergencies.
Key Takeaways:
Importance of Knowing the Shutdown Process
Understanding how to turn your solar system on and off is crucial for safety during maintenance, emergencies (such as electrical faults or fires), and troubleshooting issues.Step-by-Step Shutdown and Startup Procedures
Shutting down a solar system requires turning off both AC and DC components in the correct order, ensuring the inverter and modules stop producing power. Restarting follows the reverse sequence.Additional Considerations for Battery Systems
If a battery, like a Tesla Powerwall, is installed, it has its own DC breaker that must be turned off separately to fully power down the system and prevent unintentional energy flow.Rapid Shutdown Systems for Emergency Situations
Some modern solar systems, like those from Enphase, include a rapid shutdown button for immediate and complete power disconnection, enhancing safety during critical situations.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
The solar modules on your roof absorb sunlight and then generate direct current (DC) electricity. However, your home runs on alternating current (AC), so an inverter or microinverter is used to convert the power your solar arrays generate into energy that your household appliances can consume.
The inverter is typically situated near your meter board or in the garage, while microinverters are installed underneath each panel.
When turning off your solar system, you have to take into account what type of system you have, and the fact that if you have a string inverter you will be dealing with two types of current, DC and AC. You will need to make sure that both are powered down and then turned on again, at the right time.
How to Turn Off Your Solar System
To turn off your solar system, you should:
Step 1
Go to your switchboard and open it. Locate the solar supply main switch and flick the switch to the off position.
Step 2
If your solar power inverter is more than 3 meters away from your switchboard, you must locate the switch-marked, solar AC isolator. This will be located next to your inverter. If your inverter and switchboard are within 3 meters of each other, disregard this step.
Step 3
Go to your inverter and find the switch marked PV Array and DC Isolator. Flick this switch to the off position (in some cases there will be two switches). Switch labelled “PV Array Main Switch” (Generally located below the inverter)
Step 4
Your inverter may have a switch marked Inverter Isolator. If it does, flick this switch to the off position. If you can't locate this switch on your inverter, skip this step. Your solar PV system should now be switched off. All lights and screen displays will be dead. Keep the system off for a minimum of five minutes.
Step 5
Please also check the information on the shutdown procedure provided on the inverter. To restart your system, follow this guide in reverse order. ie. DC isolator on first, followed by AC isolator, followed by your solar supply main switch. Note: Never disconnect the MC Plugs while the power is connected.
1. Turn off the AC side of your system. To do this, go to your meter box and turn off the AC inverter’s main supply
2. Then switch off the AC breaker. Once this step is complete, your solar modules won’t be providing energy to the grid anymore.
3. Now that the AC side is powered down, you must turn off the DC breaker. You’ll most likely find this in the combiner box of your installation. However, if you can’t find it give our service team a call on 1800 640 919.
4. Turning off the DC breaker prevents the flow of electricity to the inverter.
Once the above steps have been completed, your entire PV system is powered down.
How to Turn On Your Solar System
Thankfully, there are no hidden secrets to getting your panels back up and running again. It’s just a case of repeating the steps above in the opposite order.
1. First, turn on the DC breaker.
2. Then, switch on the AC breaker.
3. Turn on the AC inverter's main supply.
If your inverter does not power up again after following these steps, please call our support team on
1800 640 919.
What if You Have a Battery Installed?
Batteries such as the Tesla Powerwall are becoming an increasingly popular option for many families who want to reduce the cost of their bills even further. There are a few additional considerations when turning your solar installation on and off if you have a battery integrated into the system.
If you have a Tesla Powerwall it will also have a DC breaker of its own. We recommend switching off the battery’s DC breaker after you have disconnected the solar system’s DC breaker from the combiner box. You’ll need to do this if you want to completely shut down the system.
Disconnecting the main PV system’s DC breaker from the combiner box stops it from continually producing power, but the battery will still be connected. In a grid-tied system that has a battery, two AC breakers need to be turned off. One to the connection on the main panelboard, and the other to the critical load to be backed up.
You must turn off both AC breakers; otherwise, your installation may still work on island mode, which means it is still unsafe for anyone to do maintenance work. By switching off the DC breaker from the battery, you guarantee it will be entirely without power.
Rapid Shutdown Systems
Rapid shutdown systems from Enphase are an essential safety measure that removes power from all components of the system, including the modules themselves. They are a quick and accessible way to lower the risks associated with fire.
They come in the form of a single button located in an accessible place in the house, that once pushed disconnects the PV installation from the electrical circuits of the house. This feature of an Enphase system can be important during an emergency because it prevents unnecessary time from being lost to climbing on the roof and switching off the DC breaker.
Frequently Asked Questions about Installing Solar Power
How much does it cost to off-grid with solar power?
Taking your home off-grid with a solar system can cost 2-4 times more than installing a standard grid tied solar system. The jump in price is due to the need for additional solar panels, large battery banks, a backup generator and a specialised off-grid inverter in order to handle the fluctuating energy demands associated with stand alone systems. The starting cost is usually around $40,000, this does not include ongoing maintenance costs and fuelling the generator.
What are the main maintenance challenges for off-grid systems?
Off-grid solar systems require far more regular maintenance that your standard grid tied or hybrid solar systems due to their larger size, added components and greater complexity of their setup. This includes servicing the batteries, checking inverter health and ensuring your backup generator runs efficiently. The stakes are also higher with an off-grid system, failure to perform these regular checks and servicing could leave you without power.
What happens if my off-grid solar system runs out of power?
If you choose to take your home off the grid there will come a point where you will run out of solar power. Whether this be because of weather conditions or higher than usual household energy demand. This is why a backup generator is an integral part of an off-grid solar system. This generator is usually powered by petrol or deisel and will provide power to the home until solar production is back up again.
Is it better to go off-grid or use a hybrid solar system?
For the vats majority of people it is better to install a hybrid system, they offer the benefits of solar power generation and energy independence using storage solutions whilst still having the grid to fall back on. While it's awesome to generate, store and use your own energy around the clock, remaining grid tied allows you to export excess solar energy back to the grid for a feed in tariff when production is high and draw from the grid to power your home when production is low. Installing an off-grid system is only really feasible if you live in a remote area with limited grid access or the grid connection fee is extremely expensive (more expensive than the price of an off-grid system).
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